scary en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈskeːɹi/ (Australia)
- skâr'ē (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈskeɹɪ/ (Scotland)
- /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ (General-American)
- /ˈskɛː.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈskɜːɹɪ/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
- /ˈskiəɹi/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
- /ˈskeɹe/ (Scotland)
- /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈskɛɹ.i/ (General-American)
- /ˈskeəɹi/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
Etymology
Etymology tree English scare Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English scary From scare + -y.
Meanings
-
(informal) Causing fear or anxiety
The biggest, scariest, scarriest man in the room said, “It's about time, Jones.”
2020, Lesley L. Smith, A Jack For All Seasons, page 45:Age notwithstanding, none of these men seem interested in sailing to Byzantium anyway: Justine’s got them all on the last stage to someplace wilder and scarier, where Yeats’s “monuments of unaging intellect” are thoroughly beside the point.
2007 February 9, Terrence Rafferty, “Technicolor Dreamboat”, in The New York Times:She was hiding behind her pillow during the scary parts of the film.
He watched Conjuring but it was too scary for him.
Well, we swarmed along down the river road, just carrying on like wildcats; and to make it more scary the sky was darking up, and the lightning beginning to wink and flitter, and the wind to shiver amongst the leaves.
1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter 29, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC:“[…] How scary it is to know that everyone I love depends on me! I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong.”
1982, Anne Tyler, chapter 2, in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, New York: Ivy Books, published 1992, page 70:The tiger's jaws were scary.
-
(informal) Uncannily striking or surprising.
Linda changed her hair, and it’s scary how much she looks like her mother.
-
(US, colloquial) Subject to sudden alarm; easily frightened.
“She’s cursed,” said the skipper; “speak her fair: I’m scary always to see her shake Her wicked head, with its wild gray hair, And nose like a hawk, and eyes like a snake.”
1867, John Greenleaf Whittier, The Tent on the Beach, and Other Poems, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, The Wreck of Rivermouth, page 25:“Whist! whist!” said Natty, in a low voice, on hearing a slight sound made by Elizabeth, in bending over the side of the canoe, in eager curiosity; “’tis a sceary animal, and it’s a far stroke for a spear. […]”
1823, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 5, in The Pioneers, volume 2, New York: Charles Wiley, the UK edition of the same year has scary (p. 262), page 77:The two brothers stood over the dead rat […]. “Please, Bigger, take ’im out,” Vera begged. “Aw, don’t be so scary,” Buddy said.
1940, Richard Wright, Native Son, book 1, London: Jonathan Cape, published 1970, page 10:And let us say to these interests that, until the Buy-It-Made-In-Texas movement co-operates with the farmers, we are going to be a little scary of the snare.
1916, Texas Department of Agriculture, “Bulletin”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), numbers 47-57, page 150:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| scariest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| scarier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| scarey | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
nonscary · scary devil monastery · scary-ass · scaries · scarily · Sunday scaries · scariness · scarysome · scarisome · scary sharp · unscary
Synonyms
shocking · scaring · flesh-crawling · buggish · terrifying · alarming · petrifying · horrible · hair-raising · dismayful · buttock-clenching · horrid · dreadful · horrifying · hair-raising · horripilating · ghastly · grisly · terrorsome · frightening · hair-curling · formidable · terrible · fearful · jumpy · terrifying · scary · frightful · freaky · affreux · flaysome · frightensome · frightening · spine-tingling · eldritch · ghostly · awful · pulse-pounding · skin-crawling · nervous · butt-clenching · horrific · appalling
Translations (115)
mi wehiwehi (causing fear or anxiety) · de schrecklich (causing fear or anxiety) · az dəhşətli (causing fear or anxiety) · jv medeni (causing fear or anxiety) · gd eagalach (causing fear or anxiety) · mg hampatahotra (causing fear or anxiety) · fr sinistre (causing fear or anxiety) · mn Аймшгийн (causing fear or anxiety) · ky бирлери коркунучтуу да (causing fear or anxiety) · pt assustador (causing fear or anxiety) · uz qo'rqinchli (causing fear or anxiety) · sh strašan (causing fear or anxiety) · cmn 恐怖 (causing fear or anxiety) · ko 공포의 (causing fear or anxiety) · sk desivý (causing fear or anxiety) · es espantoso (causing fear or anxiety) · ru ужа́сный (causing fear or anxiety) · cy brawychus (causing fear or anxiety) · mk страшен (causing fear or anxiety) · fr affreux (causing fear or anxiety) · ca espantós (causing fear or anxiety) · my ကြောက်စရာ (causing fear or anxiety) · sw inatisha (causing fear or anxiety) · tl katakot-takot (causing fear or anxiety) · lv atbaidošs (causing fear or anxiety) · he מפחיד (causing fear or anxiety) · got 𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍃𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (causing fear or anxiety) · te భయానకంగా (causing fear or anxiety) · fa بیمناک (causing fear or anxiety) · tl nakatatakot (causing fear or anxiety) · am አስፈሪ (causing fear or anxiety) · pl straszny (causing fear or anxiety) · co spaventosu (causing fear or anxiety) · de furchterregend (causing fear or anxiety) · sv läskig (causing fear or anxiety) · bn ভীতিকর (causing fear or anxiety) · hi भुतहा (causing fear or anxiety) · mr धडकी भरवणारा (causing fear or anxiety) · si බය හිතෙන (causing fear or anxiety) · tk gorkunç (causing fear or anxiety) · mr भितीदायक (causing fear or anxiety) · id menakutkan (causing fear or anxiety) · tr korkunç (causing fear or anxiety) · ru стра́шный (causing fear or anxiety) · hu félelmetes (causing fear or anxiety) · kn ಹೆದರಿಕೆಯೆ (causing fear or anxiety) · no skummel (causing fear or anxiety) · hy վախկոտ (causing fear or anxiety) · sq frikshme (causing fear or anxiety) · ro înfricoșător (causing fear or anxiety) · km គួរឱ្យខ្លាច (causing fear or anxiety) · yi סקערי (causing fear or anxiety) · nl eng (causing fear or anxiety) · tg тарсовар (causing fear or anxiety) · da skræmmende (causing fear or anxiety) · el τρομακτικός (causing fear or anxiety) · hi भयानक (causing fear or anxiety) · it pauroso (causing fear or anxiety) · mg mampatahotra (causing fear or anxiety) · sa भीष्म (causing fear or anxiety) · az qorxunc (causing fear or anxiety) · vi đáng sợ (causing fear or anxiety) · be стра́шны (causing fear or anxiety) · kk қорқынышты (causing fear or anxiety) · mg mampahatahotra (causing fear or anxiety) · mi whakamataku (causing fear or anxiety) · ka საშინელი (causing fear or anxiety) · mn аймшигтай (causing fear or anxiety) · xh eyoyikisayo (causing fear or anxiety) · ml ഭീതിദമാണ് (causing fear or anxiety) · ga scanrúil (causing fear or anxiety) · sl strašen (causing fear or anxiety) · da uhyggelig (causing fear or anxiety) · la metūculōsus (causing fear or anxiety) · gu ડરામણી (causing fear or anxiety) · pl przerażający (causing fear or anxiety) · fi pelottava (causing fear or anxiety) · fa ترسناک (causing fear or anxiety) · be жахлі́вы (causing fear or anxiety) · la terribilis (causing fear or anxiety) · ko 무섭다 (causing fear or anxiety) · sm mataʻu (causing fear or anxiety) · ja 怖い (causing fear or anxiety) · th น่ากลัว (causing fear or anxiety) · es temible (causing fear or anxiety) · eo timiga (causing fear or anxiety) · fr terrifiant (causing fear or anxiety) · sm taufaafefe (causing fear or anxiety) · ml ഭയപ്പെടുത്തുന്ന (causing fear or anxiety) · ta பயங்கரமான (causing fear or anxiety) · ms menakutkan (causing fear or anxiety) · ang afæran (causing fear or anxiety) · ha ban tsoro (causing fear or anxiety) · cs děsivý (causing fear or anxiety) · az qorxulu (causing fear or anxiety) · hu ijesztő (causing fear or anxiety) · co pauroso (causing fear or anxiety) · te భయపెట్టాడు (causing fear or anxiety) · rom traśavno (causing fear or anxiety) · lt baisu (causing fear or anxiety) · eu beldurgarria (causing fear or anxiety) · pa ਡਰਾਉਣਾ (causing fear or anxiety) · is skelfilegur (causing fear or anxiety) · lv biedējoši (causing fear or anxiety) · es temeroso (causing fear or anxiety) · sh страшан (causing fear or anxiety) · pl straszliwy (causing fear or anxiety) · nan 驚人 /惊人 (causing fear or anxiety) · uk жахли́вий (causing fear or anxiety) · bg стра́шен (causing fear or anxiety) · de beängstigend (causing fear or anxiety) · ar مُجَفِّل (causing fear or anxiety) · hi डरावना (causing fear or anxiety) · uk страшни́й (causing fear or anxiety) · ne डरलाग्दो (causing fear or anxiety)